


The First Task

by humilityhehe



Series: King's Game [1]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Gen, Large Armies, king AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-21
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-13 06:59:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,626
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1216906
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/humilityhehe/pseuds/humilityhehe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Peace is never costant in Achievement City. Every ten years, the High King, the one who rules over all, calls on the Plebian Kings and pit their armies against each other for the Tower of Pimps, the one and only proof of the High King, a magical tool that grants divine power to it's owner.</p>
<p>Another ten years is about to end again, and once again the world will be thrown into turmoil.</p>
<p>Join the men of each kingdom as they are thrown into this chaos to watch their king become the God of a broken land.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Grizzly's Knight

**Author's Note:**

> The story won't get into the King's Game until chapter 5 or so. Until then I will be introducing a few new characters, who will take center stage in this series. I plan to make each task at least 20 chapters long so expect a five minute part of the video into 20 chapters of betrayal, bravery, teamwork, and courage.
> 
> Thank you for the patience

Chapter 1: The Grizzly’s Knight

Erick finds himself standing in attention in front of thousands as he and a few others receive their ceremonial swords from the king, signify their graduation into full fledge knights of the kingdom. And he couldn’t help but feel excited and scared. He has been waiting for this day ever since he was accepted as a squire 7 years ago.

But his thoughts ended as soon as the king walked up into the front and unsheathed his sword. The ceremony was finally going to its last part and all graduating squires will now be knighted by King Michael, The Righteous.

It was Erick’s first time seeing the king up-close and personal. He just couldn’t help marvel at the young lord. From the fierce bear skin that adorned his shoulder to the iron sword that he held on his right hand, everything about the king just radiated power. But it wasn’t raw uncontrolled power, no. It was the refined sort of power, forged through years of hardship and a pure heart. And it was actually these two characteristics that made Michael popular to the masses and trusted by his knights.

“Kneel,” Michael’s voice commanded. “Knights of Feroun hear me. Today, we gather here to congratulate these young men as they are initiated into knighthood. But before we proceed, is there anyone who would wish to contest these squire’s rights to become knights?”

No one replied. Michael nodded once and looked down on the squires.

“Men of Feroun! I Michael Jones, your king, knight these men in the name of the High Gods of Achievement City and proclaim them protectors of our kingdom. Let no evil escape their wrath and let no justice be undefended. Now rise, young knights of Feroun and let the might of the bear be your guide!”

The king motioned his sword on each of their shoulders. Once done, each one stood up looking towards the thousands that were present that day. They held their heads high and one by one the new knights of Feroun descended, ready to face their destiny.

Erick’s heard was leaping with joy and his eyes shone with pride as he walked to the back of the ranks, smiling all his way there. Once in place, he looked back up to the platform and watched as the king sheathed back his sword and walked to the front.

The king motioned for silence and the cheering died down. Content, Michael shouted with full force, “Citizens of Feroun, tonight we shall feast for the success of these new additions to our noble knights and for the growing prosperity of our almighty kingdom. But as much as I wish that I only bring good tidings to you today, I cannot. In two months time, our kingdom shall have to once again prepare itself for the coming of the King’s Game. But we can only prepare because we can never know what the High King has in store for us. So Royal Knights, prepare yourselves and sharpen your skills because they will surely be tested in the upcoming games! But tonight we feast!”

Erick could feel the crowd’s emotions sway from different emotions as their king spoke. Fear for the upcoming King’s Game, an evil game where thousands die for the amusement of one godly king and joy and expectations they had for the newly appointed knights along with the celebration to follow that night.

After the king’s speech, the masses retreated to their homes and the knights broke ranks. They we’re given the rest of the day off for them to rest. Erick didn’t waste any time and made his way straight home. The last time he was there was 7 years ago. Squires weren’t allowed to leave the training grounds until they were knighted and even then they were only given the winter break for visits.

His home was a one floor flat completely made of stone with a roof made of straws. Until he was accepted as a squire, Erick passed his days as a teenager in this house. His time there weren’t the most exciting but even thought being poor; he could spend his days happy and content with his mother and father.

He opened the wooden door and the smell of fish invaded his nose.

“Mother,” Erick asked, stepping into the room and walking towards the kitchen. “Are you home mother?”

“Erick,” a woman’s voice came from the kitchen. The head of his mother popped out of the door and her tired eyes shone brighter than before. She dropped anything she was holding behind the room and came running to her son, and locking him in a bear hug. Erick couldn’t help but return the hug, his face slowly forming a smile.

“It’s been a while, mother. How are you and father?”

His mother released him and beamed. “Your father and I are doing just fine. The money sent by the court is a big help for us, especially since your father isn’t getting younger but enough about us, how about our strong knight? How are you doing?”

“I’m doing fantastic mother. I would never imagine the king would be so young yet he already looked twice as strong as the strongest knight. I am so glad to serve such an amazing lord.”

“Ah King Michael. Indeed, that young man is so young yet the way he handles this kingdom is amazing. Calling him The Righteous or The Just is not just for show. Let the High God bless our lord for the years to come.”

“Do not fear, mother. I am confident that there is no other out there that our High God favors more than King Michael Jones.”

His mother nods and beamed with pride.

“Anyway, enough with these small talks. Come. Come. We prepared your favorite meal to celebrate your initiation but we never knew the person himself would come.”

Erick nodded and walked into the kitchen with his mother, where he was served a serving of grilled fish and a small amount of rice. It wasn’t that much but it was the best meal he had for years.


	2. Bloom

Chapter 2: Bloom

Catherine made her way to the barracks as soon as they were dismissed. Her dream of finally becoming a knight has finally come true but it didn’t make her relax one bit. She took up her training sword and went to the barrack’s field, ready to practice.

The field was well-kept, green grass growing everywhere with training dummies neatly arranged on the east wall. Squires have trained in these grounds for over centuries, rumors even say that the King himself used to go here. But Catherine loved this place because she felt right at home here.

The second child of a knight, Catherine grew up with dreams of adventure and has trained with the sword ever since her childhood. Today, she can only calm down when she has a sword in her hands.

“Quite the hard worker, aren’t we?” A female voice called out.

Looking back, Catherine saw her friend, Emily walking over. The only other female squire to be initiated into knighthood that year, Emily was a few years but the two became quick friends because of family relationships.

“Emily,” she beamed, running over to hug her friend. “I thought you would have went home after the ceremony. What are you doing here?”

“Didn’t see you on the wagon back to our valley. And knowing you, you might be right here. So what’s troubling you, my friend?”

“It’s what the king said after our ceremony.”

“The King’s Game?”

Catherine nodded, looking down on her sword. “Who would have thought we would graduate in time to see the Game happen? I now question if I’m truly ready for such a grand event. Don’t you?”

Emily seemed to consider her friend’s words and then smiled. “The Game’s still two months away, Catherine, enough time for us to train and prepare. And besides, you’re practically the best squire to graduate in our batch. If there’s anyone among us who’s best prepared for the Game, it’s surely you.” She patted the younger girl on the shoulder and smiled reassuringly. “Don’t be too uptight. Today, we celebrate. Tomorrow, we prepare.”

Catherine smiled back at her friend’s encouragement and nodded. “You’re right. And besides you’ll be right there fighting beside me, right?”

The older girl gave her a nod and picked up a sword from the rack. “Of course, now then. Why don’t we spar before we prepare for the feast, no?”

Catherine smiled and the two readied themselves. They sparred for hours, resting once they were both drenched in sweat and neither could move anymore. By then the sun has already set halfway, meaning the feast was only a few hours away.

“We should better leave,” Emily said, panting between words. “Before we’re late.”

Catherine nods and stands-up, helping up her friend. “We should.”

Walking back to their old quarters – since they would be moved starting tomorrow -, the two took a quick bath and changed to their respective formal wear. Catherine sported an orange gown while Emily wore a red one. From fighters just a few minutes ago, the two looked like noble women now.

“I will never get use to such cloths,” the younger girl sighed. “They’re too bulky and impractical for movement. Why couldn’t we just wear our armor?”

“For one, this is a celebration not a ceremony. Second, you’re a woman, look beautiful once in a while.”

“As if our enemies will care about how look,” Catherine mumbled, scoring a grin from her friend.

“Well today, it’s not our enemies, is it? The King would surely wish to see his new Knights presentable when he presents us to his court.”

Catherine sighs and nods. She knows her friend speaks true but it didn’t made wearing a dress less uncomfortable.

Night came fast and neither could believe what they saw when they went to the royal gardens. Lanterns and banners decorated every post with a bear, the king’s insignia, printed on them.

Servants ran around as they prepared for the celebration. Aside from them, knights, wearing coats and gowns, have also arrived by pairs. But they couldn’t see any sign of their king or their fellow initiates.

“We better move to the side,” Catherine suggested. “We don’t want to be in the way of all these preparations.”

Emily nodded and the two of them moved to the side, where there were no crowds. Soon, the place was fully filled with high ranking knights and members of the royal courts and their families. As the last servant moved to his place on the far side, the King stepped down from his palace and the entire garden fell to reverend silence.

“Friends,” the king greeted, Compared to the others, the dignity Emily felt from her king was incomparable. Even though the king only wore an orange button-up shirt under a black coat, he felt like a completely different entity from the rest of the people present. “Welcome to this humble celebration as we celebrate the initiation of some of our best squires into the kingdom’s royal knights.”

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. But this was easily calmed by a simple gesture by the king.

“I understand you are all eager to continue this celebration. But let us first feast at the magnificent food, the royal chefs prepared for this evening.”

The king pointed at the kitchen doors, and waiters adorned in orange walked out from them, carrying trays of food, Catherine has never seen before. Huge trays of lamb and pork, along with glistening salad bowls were placed one by one onto each table, accompanied by jugs of ale and fruit drinks.

“This is amazing,” Emily couldn’t help but comment, glancing over each dish.

“This is truly more than what our family chef could ever come up with. The royal chefs are truly incomparable.”

As the two friends marvel at their food, the sound of music soon accompanied the magical feast. Catherine could feel her mind calm down and the fear of the upcoming Games washed away from her soul.

The magical night never seemed to end as dancers and other performers soon stood on stage and performed. Catherine could never imagine herself in such an event and yet there she is. But like every dream, the celebrations were interrupted when trouble started at the king’s table.

“Guards,” The king’s shout echoed throughout the garden as his assailant, a hooded man, continued to assault him. It took the royal guards a few minutes to collect their selves and run over to assist their king. But the figure wasn’t alone. Two more men in cloaks came out of the shadows and fended off the knights, leaving the king to fend for his self.

“The king…” Catherine heard the crowd murmur.

“What should we do Catherine,” Emily asked nervously. “Those men seem to be over powering the king and his guards.”

Catherine stood frozen in place, unable to neither speak nor move. As much as she wanted to say they should help, her body told her otherwise. But these thoughts of fear were soon interrupted when one of the guard’s body lands in front of their table, blood dripping from cut in his armor. 

A shrill cry erupted from the other tables as one by one the guards fell to their assailants blades. But as panic started to spread throughout, a single voice broke through and everyone regained their control.

“Do not fear,” The king’s voice erupted from the chaos. His sword dripped with blood as he stood victorious in front of his dead adversary. “These men are cowards, attacking the might Knights of Feroun with shadows. Let us show them that our fire cannot be simply put out!”

No one dared to move. Even the cloaked figures stood for seconds, their stout hooded heads staring at the king. But their training kicked in and in one quick motion, the two charged at their target and started releasing attack after attack without rest.

“We have to help,” Catherine whispered at Emily, earning a surprised look from her friend. But before the older girl could reply, a blur of motion pass both of them. Erick, one of their fellow initiates was already running towards the skirmish, sword in hand.


	3. First Blood

Chapter 3: First Blood  
Erick’s heart was racing madly with fear as he ran towards the assailants, gripping the guard’s sword with his hands until they were white. One of the hooded figures stopped his assault on the king and confronted the young knight, taking a quick swipe with his sword. Erick barely raised his sword on time to block and was pushed back.

Undeterred, the young knight stands back up and stares off against his opponent, who was now staring him down. Erick saw red crazed eyes under that hood and a glimpse of a wild grin behind the shadows. His body shouted at him to run but his heart knew otherwise.

With a shout of fury, Erick launched an attack on the man and the two started exchanging blows. But the difference in experience soon showed and Erick was slowly pushed back. His blocks getting more and more sluggish as the fight raged on.

Seeing this, the hooded man attacked with enough force that it made Erick lose his grip on his sword and stagger back. Not even stopping, the invader swung once again ready to kill. But instead of flesh, his sword met the steel of another sword.

Erick looked surprised at Catherine, the top of his class. The girl was now pushing back at the man and the young boy noticed, her dress cut short below her knee.

“What are you doing,” the girl shouted as she parried another incoming blow. “Help the king!”

True to her words, the king was still fighting against the other hooded man and neither of the two seemed to be gaining ground against his foe. The king could surely bring down this man with out any help. But Erick didn’t want to take any chances. Picking up his sword, the young knight gave another look at the girl before running towards his king.

Caught by surprise, the man fighting against King Michael raised up his sword just in time to block an attack from Erick. But he couldn’t avoid taking any damage and took a swipe at his arm.

“Are you okay, my liege,” asked Erick, concentrating on the man in front.

“Quite the surprise attack there, young knight,” King Michael smiled, unfazed at all. Erick could even swear that the young king was enjoying the situation. “Now then, how about I leave him to you?”

Erick wanted to protest, afraid that the assailant might be a bit too much for his skills. But with a grim nod to his king, he gripped harder on the hilt of his sword and watched as the hooded man charged, swinging down ready to chop off the young knight’s head.

But Erick sidestepped, avoiding the sharp edge, and returned two quick attacks, each directed at the man’s torso. But the man proved more agile and easily avoided each swipe. The two were soon exchanging and avoiding each other blows. But Erick knew, he couldn’t let the fight go any longer because if he did, he would surely lose breath and slip up.

The battle raged on though, with neither of them letting up. But the wound on the man’s shoulder proved more troublesome than either party expected and when Erick   
successfully parried one of the hooded figure’s blows, the man lost grip at one of his hands and went out of balance.

Erick didn’t miss the opportunity and with a quick stab, killed the man. The body of his opponent slumped down onto the floor, as he pulled out his sword red with blood.

Erick stared down on the limp body and couldn’t help but shiver. He knew being a knight meant killing other people one day. But it still didn’t felt right to take another life.

He was shook out of his thoughts though when he felt a strong-arm rest on his shoulder. Looking back, he saw the king nodding at him. He saw understanding in the young lord’s eyes, which seemed to tell him that he did the right thing.

“You proved quite the fighter, my friend,” Michael chuckled. “Maybe the initiates this year isn’t just for show after all.”

“Thank you, my liege,” Erick bowed. But his mind has shifted from this danger back to the earlier one. “But I have to hel-“

“No need,” King Michael smiled. “Your friend over these is just about done as well.”

Catherine was indeed doing fine as she was. Parrying another one of her opponents attacks, she replied with one of her own and managed to score another hit at her already weary opponent. Wounds and cuts were already showing at the hooded man’s armor and exposed skin, which showed that Catherine was slowly but surely doing damage to the experienced fighter. And with a final stroke, the young female knight won her match.

“Meticulous but deadly,” Michael beamed. “Another fine addition to our knights! Lady knight!” Catherine looked at her king. “Come! And stand beside your friend.”

Erick watched as the girl bowed and walked closer. Her hair was already in disarray but aside from the self made damage to her cloths; there were no hints of injury on her. He just wished, the same could be said about him. His body felt sore and he was panting badly due to the lack of air. The bruise and cuts he received were also starting to hurt. But right now, he couldn’t do anything else but listen to his king.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the court. We have lost some great men tonight to these cowards, who chose to attack from the shadows. But our young knights here have proven that the title Knight of Feroun is not just for show! Do not let this commotion disturb our celebration! The knights of our kingdom have once again proven that nothing can stand against out might! To the knights!” The crowd echoed. “To Feroun!”

The crowd went wild with cheers and the Erick thought he could feel the land tremble with the mere voice of these people. And he couldn’t help but join in the chaos. Catherine, who was standing beside him, was also doing the same thing. Neither could hear their own voice over but neither cared. That moment, they shared one voice.

The cheers soon died down, replaced by the upbeat music of the orchestra. The bodies of the guards were now cleared away and were going to be made ready for a grand burial, which the king promised. The three hooded figures on the other hand were dragged away by the remaining guards. Soon they would be autopsied and they would find out whom they were working for.

The rest of the night went on uneventful. One by one the guess left and soon it was Erick’s turn to leave. Tomorrow, he will receive his new gear and moved to a new barracks, where he shall stay until he is further promoted. He will also start training with the other knights and hopefully learn new techniques.

The walk back to his old training room was quiet, giving him time to process everything that just happened. His hands trembled once again as his thoughts raced with the memories of stabbing a man in the chest with his sword. But soon these thoughts were replaced with fear for the upcoming Games. Would he have to kill again when the time comes? He just didn’t want to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, Chapter 3 is up and I'm still on a roll. I will start posting chapter during MWF after I post chapter 5. WHich I hope to finish within the weak. I hope you guys enjoy. :)


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